Published : 08 Oct 2026, 03:28 PM
Updated : 08 Oct 2026, 03:28 PM
Two people have died and 10 others have been rescued after the lower floors of a seven-storey building partially collapsed in Istanbul’s Maltepe district.
The bodies of the two victims were recovered from the rubble as rescue teams continued searching for two other people believed to be trapped, Türkiye Today reports.
The building on Dogu Street in the Cevizli neighbourhood partially collapsed early Thursday for an unknown reason, bringing down its first three floors.
Authorities received the report around 5:40am local time and quickly sent emergency crews to the scene.
Rescue teams evacuated people trapped on the upper floors that remained standing, while crews entered the collapsed section to search for those under the rubble.
Using search dogs, rescuers pulled four people, including two children, alive from the rubble and handed them over to medical crews, who took them to nearby hospitals. A textile workshop on the ground floor was found to be empty.
As the remaining floors faced the risk of collapse, rescue teams entered the building in a controlled manner, the report said.
Roads leading to the street were closed to traffic as a precaution, while a wide security perimeter was set up to allow the crews to work.
Several pieces of heavy machinery were also sent from nearby municipalities to support the rescue operation.
Istanbul Governor Davut Gul said none of the rescued people was in life-threatening condition.
Gul said the number of people believed to be trapped under the rubble could change depending on whether anyone had entered the building as a visitor or whether anyone inside had left before the collapse.
He said authorities would also examine whether there were any irregularities in the building’s licensing and permitting process, both administratively and judicially.
“Our priority is to carry out search and rescue operations as safely and as quickly as possible, accommodate the residents we have evacuated and ensure that those who were injured receive treatment,” Gul said.
Gul added that authorities had evacuated other buildings deemed to be at risk around the collapsed structure and were working to stabilise the area.
Authorities have also launched an investigation into the cause of the collapse.
